Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Souper Bowl
Charity event will showcase the skills of area chefs and artists.
STEPHANIE KLEIN-DAVIS The Roanoke Times
The Blue Ridge Potters Guild bowls are for take-home only. Disposable cups will be available for the actual tastings.
Food writer Lindsey Nair
- lindsey.nair@roanoke.com | (540) 981-3343
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Look who's cooking...
Meet our lineup of home cooks
One week before America's top professional football teams battle it out on the field, some local cooks will be tackling the title of Roanoke's best soupmaker.
While there's little we can do to influence the outcome of the Super Bowl, we can have a huge impact on the Souper Bowl, a fun charity event that benefits the Rescue Mission of Roanoke and Roanoke Area Ministries.
On Jan. 31, more than 20 chefs and kitchen managers from Roanoke restaurants, catering companies and nonprofit organizations will each make 5 gallons of their signature soups. Ticket holders will converge on Center in the Square to taste these soups and vote on their favorites.
The winner gets major bragging rights, while each ticket holder will receive a handmade soup bowl from the Blue Ridge Potters Guild -- a $10 to $15 value.
I've seen these bowls, and they are gorgeous, varying wildly in color and design. They are for take-home only, though. Disposable cups will be available for the actual tastings.
Judging by the culinary talent involved in this event, I can only imagine the soups will be as lovely as the bowls.
Sandra Pratt, director of community outreach for Wheeler Broadcasting, which owns Q99 FM, a sponsor of the Souper Bowl, had signed on more than a dozen restaurants as of late last week.
They include Metro!, 202 Market, Little Dipper, Annie Moore's Pub, Awful Arthur's Seafood Company, Horizon Bar & Grill, Carrabba's Italian Grill, Village Grill and Crock & Roll, a new restaurant opening soon in Towers Mall. Comfort Cuisine, a catering company, is also taking part, and Gentry Locke Rakes & Moore law firm is also a sponsor.
Also competing in the Souper Bowl are Linda Cannon, Kim Hetherington and Jonathan McGraw, the kitchen managers at RAM House, the Rescue Mission and 2nd Helpings Cafe, respectively. The cafe is a Williamson Road eatery owned by the Rescue Mission.
Pratt said she has made sure no two cooks make the same kind of soup; she also wants the recipes to reflect the style of each establishment.
"I really have sort of stressed to people that I want them to do what is their signature soup," Pratt said. "I want them to make a soup that the public can come and sample it and say, 'I'm going to go to the restaurant and have that soup.' "
Already, a little good-natured competitiveness is simmering. Stu Israel, the resource development coordinator for RAM House, said Cannon has been testing out soups on him for days.
"Our kitchen manager is really excited," he said. "She wants to beat all of these restaurants."
As an added bonus, the ticket price includes free admission to the science and history museums. Children 12 and under get in free, and while they do not get a bowl, there will be activities to keep them entertained.
Regardless of who wins, bear in mind that the real purpose of the Souper Bowl is to help those in need. RAM and the Rescue Mission are seeing more demand than usual for their services this winter.
If bad weather arrives on Jan. 31, the event will not be postponed and the ticket price will be considered a donation. Only 400 tickets are available, and at least half have already been sold, so act fast.
Said Lee Clark of the Rescue Mission: "It is going to be a challenging year."
Souper Bowl
When: Sunday, Jan. 31, 1-4 p.m.
Where: Center in the Square, 1 Market Square, Roanoke
Cost: $20 in advance; $25 at the door. Kids 12 and under, free. Tickets: Available at Q99 headquarters, 3934 Electric Road, Roanoke or by e-mailing souperbowl@q99fm.com
Slow cooker challenge
On the Fridge Magnet, my blog at roanoke.com, we've been talking quite a bit about slow cooker recipes.
At the start of the new year, I decided to try a new Crock Pot recipe every week between now and the end of winter. This is not a novel idea -- a writer named Stephanie O'Dea recently published a book about her year of slow cooking called "Make It Fast, Cook It Slow."
Still, I'm looking for ways to save money on the food budget, and it's hard to ignore the convenience of slow cookers. They are especially nice in the winter, when the days seem so short and our bellies crave warm sustenance.
So far, I've tried a beef stroganoff recipe and one for a meal of barbecued pork chops and sauerkraut. But some blog readers said many slow cooker recipes start looking and tasting the same after awhile, so I'll strive to find more modern, highly seasoned dishes that don't turn to complete mush in the cooker.
A blog reader named Kristen had one cure for the Crock Pot blahs: a chicken dish made with olives, garlic, tomato and herbs that is served over pasta.
Kristen says this recipe has always been well-received by friends. She called it "a great counterpoint to all the cheesy, cream of mushroomy stuff that you usually read about" for Crock Pots.
Check out the recipe and see what you think. And stay tuned to the Fridge Magnet blog to see other tested-and-tried slow cooker recipes.
